What if?
by Serenity Luna Potter
Summary: "What are you doing, Princess?" he asked her.   "Are you dumb, Rider? You've been sentence wrongly. I can't convince my father differently, and neither can my mother. So I'm doing the only thing I /can/ do. I'm breaking you out."


What if?

Summary: Have you ever wondered what Rapunzel's life would've been like if Gothel hadn't stolen Rapunzel as a baby? What if Rapunzel's hair didn't lose its power when it was cut? What if Flynn Rider, the charming but very much-wanted thief, met Rapunzel in prison? What if she freed him? A fabulous adventure will happen, of course!

Rapunzel woke up bright and early as usual, her faithful and only friend Pascal sleeping soundly on her pillow next to her head. She sat up quietly, her long blonde hair a knotty mess. The castle was sound asleep, except for her parents, Queen Marisa and King Arthur, who were quietly discussing court matters in the next chamber. Rapunzel got her brush and yanked it through her ankle long hair, then braided it so it wouldn't get in her way while she painted. Looking out her window, she saw the unfinished mural on the palace wall, the lantern scene almost complete. The lake was bothering her, though. There was something missing…shrugging, Rapunzel threw on her favorite purple dress, a cloak, grabbed Pascal, and snuck downstairs.

The muffled voices of Queen Marisa and King Arthur echoed through the halls, and Rapunzel heard something that interested her. Curious, she pressed her ear to the door to hear the conversation better.

"Marisa, we can't excuse /his/ crimes anymore. He can't be trusted. With all the man's stolen through the past ten years…" Arthur said sounding irritated. Marisa sighed.

"Arthur, he's a poor man. So were you, but my parents excused your mishaps for me. What if Flynn Rider is in the same position? Be reasonable…"  
>"No! Rider will/ be hanged for his crimes, whether you like it or not! He's to be hanged at dawn on Sunday."

Rapunzel stood there for a moment in shock before backing away. Her father was never so bloodthirsty…or death hungry. Why now? Sure, she had heard the stories of the infamous thief, Flynn Rider, but what if he was just trying to survive? It didn't seem right. Looking at Pascal, who shrugged, Rapunzel continued downstairs, passing the castle doors (her original destination) and toward the dungeon doors. Unfortunately, a palace guard blocked her. It was the Captain of the guards, no less.

"I'm sorry Princess, you can't go down here," he said sternly. "Orders from your parents."

Rapunzel put her hands on her hips. "And why not? I wish to speak to one of the prisoners, whether you like it or not," she snapped. "Now move, or I'll tell my father you disobeyed my order. And a /royal/ order, at that."

"It's direct orders from your father, Princess—"

"I don't care."

Rapunzel shoved past the guard and rushed downstairs, the Captain shouting after her. Down and down Rapunzel went, until finally she reached the end of the staircase. Now all she had to do was find Flynn Rider. This wouldn't be easy, unfortunately. Pascal shrunk back behind Rapunzel's braid, eyeing each cell. Rapunzel held back her frightened look as she passed each cell, looking for the man that looked like the one in the wanted posters she had scene in the kingdom. He was the one with the unusually long nose, which freaked the princess out a bit.

"Why are you down here, Princess? Strange place to be for someone of your rank in society." a voice said, and Rapunzel twirled around. The man who spoke wasn't visible, but she could make out his body. His arms were crossed, and his boots were worn. His blue vest was covered in dirt and mud, his satchel strapped across his chest. Rapunzel cleared her throat.

"I…need to speak to a prisoner. Flynn Rider is his name. You don't happen to know his cell, do you?" she asked the prisoner. A chuckle came from the cell.

"Perhaps I do, perhaps I don't. What is it to you, Princess? Or can I call you Blondie? It suits you."

"In it for you?" Rapunzel repeated questioningly. What would she give a prisoner? Surely she couldn't give him a bag of gold. "I could convince my father to cut your sentence by a year, depending on your crime. That is my deal."

"Interesting, but that won't help me. Unfortunately, unless you can over-rule a death sentence, I can't accept." he answered, making Rapunzel's heart sink. She'll never find Flynn…or save him from a wrongfully accused death sentence.

"However, I'll still give you your information." the prisoner said, and stood up. He walked toward the bars of the cell, and Rapunzel's already wide green eyes widened even more.

"You're him!" she exclaimed. Flynn nodded.

"Yep, the one and only. What need do you have with me, Blondie?"

Rapunzel gulped. Why /had/ she come down here? It was a moment's decision, and she didn't even know what she wanted to do. She recalled her parent's discussion from earlier…his unnecessary death sentence…Rapunzel looked Flynn straight in the eyes.

"I know that your stealing things isn't right. I also know that you're a poor man. Everyone knows that. So I've made my decision."

Flynn gave Rapunzel a confused look. "What decision would that be, Blondie? Executing me early? Because I'll have to deny that offer."

Rapunzel shook her head. "No. Being killed for stealing what you need to survive is wrong." she grabbed the keys hanging by his cell and put one into the lock, suppressing a smile as the click of the lock came and the cell door came open. Flynn looked at Rapunzel with a dumbstruck expression. She made an irritated face and motioned toward the door. "It's open."

"What are you doing, Princess?" he asked her.

"Are you dumb, Rider? You've been sentence wrongly. I can't convince my father differently, and neither can my mother. So I'm doing the only thing I /can/ do. I'm breaking you out."


End file.
